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The Joker
: "I told you I'd see you again. You and me... We're two threads in the same stitch." : ―The Jokersrc Biography Spoiler warning: ''Plot and/or ending details follow.c] Season One ''Guardian of Gotham City of Light Season Two: The Enemy Within The Enigma The Pact ''Fractured Mask'' ''What Ails You'' Same Stitch Personality : "The guy I walked in here with, what can you tell me about him?" : "John Doe"? Lot of folks are scared of him." : "Yeah? and why's that?" : "Same reason folks are scared of tornadoes. They're chaotic. Unpredictable. Speaking as a professional, I find his wok a bit sloppy, but he's certainly enthusiastic. I'll give him that much." : ―Bruce Wayne and Victor Zsaszsrc To say that John is emotionally unstable is a severe understatement. He suffers from intense mood swings, bouts of violent anger when he feels frustrated or humiliated, paranoia, and hallucinations. He also obsesses over his interpersonal relationships to the point of clinginess and has an extreme fear of abandonment, whipping himself up into hysteria in Episode 4 after he murders a group of Agency operatives out of the very idea that it might lead to Bruce getting angry with him. All of this behavior barring the hallucinations suggests that he at the very least might be suffering from a severe case of Borderline Personality Disorder. Joker seems to be very unpredictable. Whilst at Arkham Asylum, he seemed bored with the order of the staff and would enjoy chaos when it occurred. He seemed to find both the Children of Arkham's actions and Harvey Dent's wavering sanity entertaining. He also seems to enjoy harmless pranks, including giving a key that didn't unlock anything to Bruce, just to see whether he tried it. According to Leland, Joker also has issues with rejection, something confirmed if Bruce decides not to go through with their "favor." Whilst free, Joker seemed to find it hard adjusting to freedom and seemed drawn to chaos, which led to his involvement with the Pact and falling in love with Harley Quinn. He also seemed to have little confidence in either himself. Despite putting on a show of obliviousness and incompetence, Joker was extremely intelligent and aware of the actions around him, even deducing that Bruce Wayne was actually the vigilante Batman. It also seems he had a habit of giggling whilst nervous, though it is unknown whether this was true. Up until his identity formation, Joker displayed a contrast between a cunning, capable individual and a desperate, vulnerable wallflower. He gave a "get well soon" card to Bruce at Lucius' funeral, yet subsequently mentioned his association with Riddler to aid him in his search. With this, it was difficult for Bruce at times to discern whether his associate was genuinely reaching out to him or goading him. Even if offering to retrieve Harley's laptop for Bruce following their communication exercise, he contrastingly proceeded to later offer Batman the same, preceding the offer by doing shadow puppets and amplifying his voice on the Bat-Signal. Even his appearance at the Bonus Bros. carnival, wrought with a desperate plea for Bruce to trust him, followed with John's revelation of knowing his deepest secret. The split becomes more biased in the two Joker paths: As a vigilante, John is overtly passionate to frequent recklessness, (injuring an old lady helping her cross the street, stabbing Bane repeatedly when accused of Riddler's murder). However, when Batman corners him in the office, he softly confesses that he had willingly turned his back on himself wanting Bruce's faith, and after defeat, saying he knew already knowing his friendship was used to help Batman stop the Pact...while nonetheless being grateful for getting to know Bruce. As a villain, Joker's cunning skyrocketed into full-blown sadism, stuffing Bullock's stomach with a jack-in-the-box under the guise of a bomb, and meticulously forcing Batman's allies, i.e. Selina and Gordon, to work against him. However, he immensely hated being referred to as "John," and couldn't fully bring himself to kill Bruce at the dinner table. Perhaps the most disturbing concept of Joker is in the implication that he does not truly appear to have a concept of good or evil and his perspective on others seems to be judged purely by how "rude" they are to him. While he despised Riddler, it was not because he was a murderer and a thief on a global scale, but rather because he embarrassed Joker in front of others, namely Harley. While Harley is also a mass murderer, Joker deeply admires and loves her, not only because he gives him his much-lusted attention, but because of her aptitude to cause chaos. This is also very indicative of Joker's overall character as an individual who relishes in chaos and anarchy, even at the cost of innocents. This side of him can be glimpsed very shortly after Bruce meets Joker in Arkham Asylum, where Joker admits that, to him, one of the most enjoyable aspects of the Children of Arkham's plans and Harvey Dent's descent into madness is the fact that so many innocent people will be caught in the crossfires. Despite his love for chaos and violence, it is greatly implied that this is a result of Joker not knowing anything else to be enjoyable, having spent most of his life in an asylum, where anarchy was his way of keeping things interesting. Regardless of Bruce's choices, Joker did not initially appear to be malicious in nature and simply wanted to find his own way in life. However, after killing a group of Agency members in what he claims to be self-defense, Joker's personality can change dramatically, depending on whether Bruce chooses to believe him. If he does, Joker's trust in him will be undisputed and will decide to put his efforts into righting wrongs as a vigilante. However, his views and methods are a lethal force and extend to even Amanda Waller, leaving Batman with no other option but to arrest him. However, if Bruce doesn't, Joker's views on him will turn negative and believe his views to be nothing more than a fallacy. With that, he becomes a criminal with an obsession with Bruce/Batman and proving himself more dangerous than both the Children of Arkham and the Pact combined. Regardless of Joker's fate, it is gradually revealed that the man was always drawn to violence and chaos, whether it was for malicious purposes (as in the case of his villain scenario) or for misguided lust for justice (as in the case of the vigilante scenario). Depending on Bruce's choices, Joker could become the most deranged and evil of his rogue's gallery or the most flawed with a true lust to do good. In the end, Joker would prove to have one of the most intimate connections to Bruce out of anyone he has ever met, perhaps knowing him better than even his adoptive father, Alfred. Appearance John is sickly pale and rather unnerving. Many characters make comments on John's unconventional appearance, specifically his disturbing smile. It is to be assumed that John is unhealthy, he's not physically fit; he's easily knocked down by Catwoman and he fails when trying to break down a door, and he has a stockpile of pills and highly addictive pain-killers by his bed. During Episode Three: Fractured Mask, the player has an option to ask John about his green hair. John gets defensive about his "style" and says that he's always had green hair and it's presumably natural. Like classic Joker incarnations, John almost exclusively wears green and purple. In Episode Five: the Same Stitch, depending on the choices made, John can either become a vigilante or a villain. Regardless of the outcome, he wore a dark purple coat, green shirt, violet trousers and un-matching shoes. If he becomes a vigilante, he wears a utility belt similar to Batman to store his weapons and gadgets. He also stylizes his hair into a style similar to Batman's mask and wears black face-paint to hide his face and bruised eye. However, if Joker becomes a villain, he also wears dark purple gloves, a dark pink tie, a greenish-blue shirt, and a dark blue coat along with blue-grey trousers and un-matching brown shoes. He also puts light pink eyeshadow around both eyes and shaves his left eyebrow, possibly to symbolize the pain he has gone through for Bruce's attention. Abilities * Genius-level intelligence: * Master manipulator: * Capable Hand-to-Hand Combatant: Weaknesses Equipment After the confrontation on the bridge, the Joker would design a variety of gadgets to use against either the criminals of Gotham or Batman. These gadgets were either new original equipment or joy-gimmick replicas of Batman's own equipment. * Knives: Regardless of whether he becomes a vigilante or criminal, Joker would use a set of switchblade knives whilst he was in combat, often to attack or stab his opponent. It seemed to be his preferred weapon of choice, due to his quick use of them within succession and a sadistic pleasure he took from stabbing victims. * Joy Buzzer: Regardless of whether he becomes a vigilante or criminal, Joker would use a Joy Buzzer during his battle with the vigilante. It seemed to be mostly harmless, with it used to play a prank on Bruce Wayne, but it was also used to stun his opponents in battle. * Bombs: Joker would use a set of bombs, before and after his transformation. Though they were originally created by Harley Quinn, he would use C4 stuffed within mannequin heads to either destroy objects or cause distractions for his enemies. It's seems they were also easy to roll, meaning they could get anywhere, depending on the force of push. The bombs were also powerful enough to cause severe damage to the Gotham Bridge and create a hole in the GCPD headquarters, that stretched down multiple levels. * Jokerrangs: If the Joker becomes a vigilante, he uses stylized boomerangs similar to Batman's Batarangs, which he dubbed "Jokerangs", which resemble his smile. Made out of tungsten steel by his associate Willy Deever, they were extremely hard to break. They were also sharp enough to cause severe injury to victims, though it's left up to debate whether they could actually kill a person. * Grappling Gun: If the Joker becomes a vigilante, he begins using a Grappling Gun in a similar style to Batman's. Capable of helping him reach areas inaccessible by foot, Joker would add a hook which was stylized to look like an laughing jaw. It's possible that this item was also created by Willy Deever, though this is unconfirmed. * Gas Pellets: Should Joker become a vigilante, he uses gas pellets similar to Batman's smoke pellets. Like Batman's they would disperse a cloud of smoke, which would likely stun anyone caught in the radius. However, Joker's pellets were full of a purple stunning gas as apposed to smoke. Joker would also not use these as a method to escape, preferring to use his mannequin bombs. * Gas Dispensers: If the Joker becomes a criminal, he and Harley will begin using gas dispenser to spread the LOTUS virus around Gotham. Some of these dispensers would come armed with traps, often to challenge Batman to disarm them. If separated from the detonation wire, the dispensers would become otherwise useless, with the dispensers instead letting off horns and confetti. * Jokermobile: The Joker first acquired his Jokermobile when he, Bruce and Harley stole it from its original user. It is unknown whether he used the vehicle during the time during his membership in the Pact and if he becomes a criminal, but it would decide to use it if he becomes a vigilante in a similar vein to Batman's Batmobile. It's unknown whether the vehicle was modified, but Joker would use the car to travel between areas. However, the chemicals used to paint the car would later lead to him being tracked down by Batman. Relationships "†" notates that the character is currently or believed to be deceased Allies *Bruce Wayne - Possible Best Friend/Former Possible Ally/Possible Best Enemy *Harleen Quinzel - Former psychiatrist/One-Sided Crush/Possible Love Interest/Possible Enemy *Joan Leland - Psychiatrist Enemies *"The Riddler" † - Ally turned enemy *Bruce Wayne/Batman - Ally turned enemy (Determinant) * The Agency ** Amanda Waller - Attempted Victim Appearances Trivia * The character has received critical acclaim, with many critics noting how this is one of the first truly sympathetic portrayals of the Joker to ever come along and praising the player's ability to shape John's decisions and affect what kind of a villain he will become. * Prior to his "transformation," Joker is constantly referred to as "John Doe," with his future personality and actions dependent on choices and dialogue chose by the player. After the transformation, he is referred to with both names. In the first season, the credits list him as "Joker," whilst the second season's credits list him as "John" until the Same Stitch. * Joker's standing with Batman in the second season is similar to Harvey Dent/Two-Face's in the first, as it is friendly but changes, depending on the choices made by the player. * Prior to the revelation of his knowledge, it was implied that Joker was aware of Bruce's dual identity during their first meeting in Guardian of Gotham. * It is also worthy to know how Joker learned about Lady Arkham's true identity as Victoria Arkham and where she was keeping the Children of Arkham's drug cache. However, it is hard to take Joker at his word, so it remains unclear how he knows about these events. * Joker's house in the Old Five Points is called the "Ha-Hacienda," a reference to his name for the various hideouts used in both comics and other media. In addition, the interior and death traps in his hideout in the Bonus Bros. Carnival is very reminiscent of his lair in the 1988 graphic novel, Batman: The Killing Joke. * In The Enemy Within, there is a role reversal in the traditional Joker/Harley Quinn relationship. Whilst in most media, the Joker is the dominant one and steers Harleen Quinzel towards becoming a criminal. The season presents the polar opposite, with Harley being the one in control and "John" being submissive and, through her influence, steered towards his transformation into the Joker. * Regardless of the outcome, Joker's lips are changed to red, signifying his change to villain, though the circumstances change depending on the outcomes. However, in both endings to the City of Light, "John" was shown with red lips while watching the assassin's failure on the new * If the Joker becomes a villain during What Ails You, his lips smeared with Harley's lipstick from a kiss. However, if the Joker becomes a vigilante, his lips are instead smeared in blood during a fight between a group of agents during the Same Stitch. * The criminal Joker's outfit is similar to the variations used by the iterations in both Tim Burton's Batman and The Dark Knight. The shaved eye-brow is possibly a reference to the version present in the DC Extend Universe. * It is unknown how Joker was legally kept at Arkham if the staff there had no record of him ever being committed or if he never gave his name to anyone. * Anthony Ingruber has his own YouTube Channel here. Category:Characters Category:Antagonists Category:The Pact Category:Season 1 Characters Category:Arkham Inmates Category:Season 2 Characters Category:Secret Keepers Category:Former Villains Category:Villains Category:Allies Category:Anti-Heroes Category:Main Villains Category:Gotham Residents Category:Batman Family Category:Imprisoned